North Andover Police say crash that killed mom was 'worst in years'

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Police are trying to determine the cause of the crash that killed a young mother and injured her two daughters.

"She was my best friend. She's who i went to for everything," said Kristin Eldridge, best friends with the woman killed.

Investigators say Jennifer Morse was killed Tuesday on route 133 in North Andover when she collided head-on with a truck. Wednesday morning, children's toys were scattered on the side of the road, alongside wreckage from the car.

North Andover Police Chief Charles Gray said this is the worst crash the department has seen in years. He also told FOX25 that witness reported seeing Morse, 35, driving erratically minutes before the crash.

North Andover Police Chief Charles Gray says a witness reported seeing Morse, 35, driving erratically minutes before the crash.

"We're looking at all sorts of possibilities from mechanical to impairment to distraction. We're going to look at phone records to see if there is potential for distracted driving on that end,” said Gray.

Morse died at the scene. Her two young daughters, ages 10 and 5, were rushed to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.

Eldridge texted Morse about an hour before the crash. Morse was going to come by and borrow her truck, but it wouldn't start.

"I sent her a message and she wrote, 'No worries. Another day,' and I never heard back from her. I even said to my sister, 'I think she's mad.' I had no idea," she said.

It wasn't until Tuesday night that Eldridge found out she lost her best friend.

The driver of the pick-up truck was also hurt but is expected to be okay.

“It's the worst we've seen in a while in North Andover. Certainly, we've had some tragic accidents. But it's bad because of the situation where there's children involved. It's bad because of the amount of damage we saw out there and it's just tragic,” said Gray.

The chief said he believes everyone was wearing their seatbelts.

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